THE GOLDEN LOTUS 107

"You funny little whore," Hsi-men said, "don't talk non-
sense. I tell you I have had nothing to do with her."
"If you have not, why won't you take an oath?"
The argument continued for some time. Finally she invited
Hsi-mfin Ch'ing to wash. He would not. She took a handker-
chief from under the pillow et mentulam tersit, quam inter
labra rubra ita recepit ut mox rursus furerSt. Ascendit super
earn Hsi-m6n ferociter progressus et dum crura brachiis
premit mentulam miro sonitu promovet. Fulgebat lucerna et
visu ille gaudebat. Mulier in lecto iacens obviam surrexit et
viri cupidinem magis incendit. In mentulam aliquid pulvisculi
rubri imposuit atque kerum inseruit; et cruribus firme captis
tercenties oppugnavit. Golden Lotus's eyes closed and she
began to tremble. "Darling," she whispered, "you must do
no more. You should not have put the powder on him."

"Now, little strumpet," Hsi-men Ch'ing cried,- "are you
afraid of me or not? Will you ever treat me disrespectfully
again?"

"Darling, forgive me," Golden Lotus said* "I will never
dare to talk like that again. Don't thmst so roughly, you will
make my hair untidy."

They played happily far into the night, till at last they were
tired and went to sleep.

On the day of the Double Ninth festival, the ninth day of the
ninth month, Hsi-men Ch'ing said to the Moon Lady: "A
day or two ago, when I was drinking wine with Han Tao-
kuo, I saw a certain Miss Sh£n. She is good-looking and she
sings well. I will send a boy for her and she shall stay a few
days to sing for you." He told the cooks to prepare a feast
and tables were set in the garden in the Hall of the Lovely
Prospect. There Hsi-m£n and his household kept the festival.
Wang Ching brought Miss Sh£n. She kotowed to all the
ladies. The Moon Lady thought her very pretty and asked
how many songs she knew. Miss ShSn said she knew a great
many. The Moon Lady offered her some refreshments and
asked her to sing for a while in the inner court before she
went to the garden.

Hsi-m£n Ch'ing did not go to the office that day. He super-
intended the planting of the chrysanthemums and invited the
ladies to go to the garden. Plum Blossom, Flute of Jade,